


fear the sirens with songs in their veins

by onelastchence



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Not K-Pop Idols, M/M, Multi, Sirens, lapslock, mentions of captivity, romantic beagle line is implied
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2019-10-06
Packaged: 2020-11-26 02:22:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20922581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onelastchence/pseuds/onelastchence
Summary: baekhyun must find hissinger, and bring him home.





	fear the sirens with songs in their veins

**Author's Note:**

  * For [chen_gzi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/chen_gzi/gifts).

> inspired by [this beautiful piece of art](https://twitter.com/jongdaeworld/status/1180839336931028994) by [edori](https://twitter.com/sleepychengzi)! please check out her october project and all her other wonderful pieces of work!
> 
> a _singer_ is the siren equivalent of a soulmate. they do not have to be romantic partners, but in this case baekchen are. sirens can sing, and _sing_. when they do the latter, they use their voices as a medium for magic. a siren's powers are greatly amplified when they are with their _singer_. they also do not eat people.

they tell stories of a boy deceived by sirens.

they call him _ jowangshin_, after the goddess of fire, because all that is known of him was the fire red of his hair. 

they tell stories of a boy taken by sirens, captivated by their voices and songs of love and lust.

they call him an unfortunate case, the reason sirens should be feared, because if you’re not careful, and give in, you’ll end up like him.

they tell stories of a boy drowned by sirens, razor sharp teeth tearing him apart, one baby pink, one bright turquoise.

* * *

“where is he?” baekhyun asks, frantically looking around. he’s desperately holding onto chanyeol’s hand, terrified of getting lost. baekhyun doesn’t know his way around, can barely walk without stumbling because he’s not used to his feet.

no siren would be; they had not much need for them, after all.

admittedly, letting chanyeol see him had been a mistake, but baekhyun had been in too much of a rush to look carefully. he’d been to that area of the river multiple times, always, _ always_, with jongdae, and they’d never been caught, until-

until.

he knows. he knows he shouldn’t have gone back there, but it had been the only place he knew well enough, where he could transform with the least chance of being seen. he’d swam, further and further inland, under the cover of darkness, before he made his way into the little inlet and heaved himself out of the water, pale pink tail shining behind him, core aching with the strength he put in.

a sharp noise had distracted him, and he’d looked up in horror to see a tall man, fire engine red hair visible in the night - _ how _ had baekhyun not seen him? - bright eyes wide. there’s a phone on the ground, presumably the cause of the noise that had snapped baekhyun out of his reverie.

“you,” the man had said. “you’re…”

baekhyun had panicked, desperately pushing himself up on his arms and trying to make his way back into the water before the man can catch him. he couldn’t get caught, because if he did, then there’d be no hope for them. 

“no, wait!” 

the man had quickly rushed forward, which had only made baekhyun squirm faster, tears of frustration pricking at his eyes. just a little more, and he’d be submerged in the water, and he could swim away, find another inlet, another secluded little area where he could transform.

“please, wait! are you- are you jongdae’s friend?”

_ jongdae. _

baekhyun’s head had snapped up at the name. jongdae. was he jongdae’s friend? jongdae, his friend, his beloved, his _ singer_. “jongdae?” he had whispered, throat dry with anticipation. “how do you know about jongdae?”

“i talk to him,” the man had replied, moving closer, but slowly this time, knowing he had baekhyun’s attention and that he wasn’t going to swim away. “i work at the aquarium, at night. i patrol, and i talk to him. i’m on my way to a shift right now. would you- would you like to come along?”

that had been it, really. baekhyun had immediately taken up the man’s - chanyeol’s - offer. the clothes he had brought with him in a sack were soaking wet, and chanyeol had quickly bade him wear them before rushing to a nearby toilet, changing into his guard uniform and shoving his (too large for baekhyun, but dry) streetwear at baekhyun.

and now they were here, in the aquarium after hours. it’s dark, chanyeol’s large torch the only source of light, baring those backlighting the aquarium exhibits. 

“this way,” chanyeol guides him, one hand on his shoulder. baekhyun’s shaking; he hasn’t seen jongdae in _ months _ , not since he had been captured by humans, ripped away from him and taking a part of baekhyun along with them. his _ singer_, his jongdae. 

there’s a large, large tank in the next room. it’s so big it stretches from the top of the ceiling all the way to the floor, filled two-thirds with water. the last third is a makeshift cliff, rocks and sand, nautical elements scattered about: shells, rope. baekhyun’s heart stops when he sees him, curled up in a corner, knees to his chest, golden hair crowning his visage. 

“jongdae,” he breathes, then runs up to the glass, tripping over his own feet, unused to using them. he falls, but strong arms catch him, and he turns to see chanyeol giving him a nod. he rushes the rest of the way to the thick glass, pounding against it with a fist. “jongdae!”

jongdae’s head lifts from where it had been resting on his knees, and his eyes widen, before he’s rising to his feet, dashing across the sand and diving into the water in one smooth motion. baekhyun stares, awed, at how elegant jongdae’s movements above the water are. jongdae’s trajectory is perfect, and his body adapts quickly, pupils slitting, gills flaring, feet coming together to transform into a beautiful turquoise tail. 

_ baekhyun! _ he sees jongdae’s mouth move, but can’t hear him. he doesn’t have to, really. jongdae is his _ singer_, he’ll always know him. _ baekhyun, baekhyun, it’s you! _

“jongdae!” baekhyun cries, fists pounding futilely at the thick glass. “are you okay? have you been alright? i’ve been so worried, jongdae.”

_ baekhyun, _ jongdae replies, eyes crinkling as he smiles. _ baekhyun, my _ singer, _ have you not been eating? you’re too thin, love, have you not been taking care of yourself? _

“i’ve been worried sick about you!” baekhyun shouts, sinking to his knees. “how could i have eaten, knowing you were somewhere out there? who knows what they could’ve done to you, these humans?”

_ i’ve been okay, baekhyun, _ and oh, it’s so like jongdae to be the one comforting baekhyun, even now. _ the humans aren’t terribly nice, but the children are kind. and chanyeol, chanyeol speaks to me, even if he can’t understand a lot of what i say. he’s been so terribly lovely. _

baekhyun turns to look at chanyeol, who only knows what baekhyun is saying, because he could try to read jongdae’s lips but he’s not jongdae’s _ singer_, knows not what he’s saying. he glares at him, and chanyeol flinches back. he could not know, of course, that baekhyun was jealous that he had taken up a part of jongdae’s heart - and it’s so obvious, the affection on jongdae’s face, but he’s _ human_, someone who had _ taken jongdae away_.

“they’ve kept you here,” baekhyun hisses, staggering to his feet in anger. “you’re not something to be gawked at, jongdae.”

_ no, _ jongdae agrees, smiling. his own hands are pressed to the glass now, where baekhyun’s fists are, coaxing him to open them, to release his anger. _ no, my darling. but you are here now, my _ singer_, and we can rid ourselves of this place. _

baekhyun grins at that, sharp and confident. he releases his fists, as jongdae had told him to, trusting in his _ singer_. yes, with the both of them reunited, the humans stood not a chance. he turns to chanyeol, still unhappy, but gestures for him to cover his ears and stand at the far end of the room. chanyeol listens, and baekhyun huffs before turning back to the glass.

jongdae is gazing fondly at chanyeol, smile small but happy, and something like a sea serpent curls with jealousy in baekhyun’s gut, settling heavily. jongdae laughs, attention once again on baekhyun. _ my love, there’s no need to be jealous, _ and of course jongdae could read him like a book. _ chanyeol is chanyeol, but _ you_, my love, are my _ singer_. fear not, beloved. _

baekhyun puffs out his cheeks, and jongdae laughs again, and his gaze is just as fond as when he had been looking at chanyeol. the serpent uncoils itself, and he takes a deep breath, lets it dissipate into sea foam. baekhyun knows where he stands, and it’s with jongdae; he knows jongdae stands with him, too.

“come, jongdae,” baekhyun says. “let’s go home.”

jongdae’s smile is all sharp teeth and pleased curls. they press their palms to the glass, mirrored on either side of the barrier that keeps them apart. baekhyun closes his eyes, then, and he _ sings_.

the glass cracks, a giant split down the middle, and, well, when he opens his eyes and jongdae’s arching one eyebrow in amusement at him, let it be known that baekhyun will never deny he has a dramatic flair. 

the glass continues to crack between their palms, and then baekhyun is moving away from the glass, still _ singing _ to jongdae, as jongdae does the same in the water. their hands are still held out in front of them, but palms up, this time, fingers curled gently. with one last resonant note, the glass _ breaks_, and the water gushes out. baekhyun laughs, victorious, as jongdae _ sings_, rides the water smoothly until he’s splashing out right into baekhyun’s arms. 

“baekhyun!” jongdae trills, eyes bright, the tail flicking happily behind him turning into feet that kick like a child’s with his delight. “baekhyun, my love, you are here!”

“jongdae,” baekhyun responds, burying his face in jongdae’s shoulder. he glances down at jongdae’s form, then quickly removes his borrowed shirt and wraps it around jongdae’s form, all the while replying. “jongdae, my darling, you are safe.”

“i am,” jongdae assures, smile bright, then turning wicked when he realises what baekhyun’s doing. “i knew you would come for me.”

“of course,” baekhyun smiles back, taking his hand and bringing it up to his lips for a kiss. “there was not a day i did not look for you. i will tell you all about my attempts. but we must go, now, before the other humans find us.”

“you’re leaving?” a weak voice croaks, and baekhyun spins around, standing in front of jongdae protectively. chanyeol stands in the same corner, slightly damp, and looking miserable. “i’ll- i’ll get in trouble if you’re missing after my shift.”

“you want jongdae to stay in that cage because it’ll _ get you in trouble_?” baekhyun snarls, eyes flashing. “he’s _ not _ something to _ entertain _ you humans.”

“i-” chanyeol fidgets, looking upset, but quickly gives in once he sees baekhyun’s point. “you’re right. i’ll drive you back to the river. let’s go.”

baekhyun feels a kiss being pressed to his cheek, and he turns to find jongdae smiling softly at him. “i’m glad you’re here with me, again,” jongdae says. baekhyun returns the affection, and they quickly stumble after chanyeol, whose long legs and fast pace make it difficult for them to keep up, but they say nothing. they understand the need for haste.

chanyeol remains silent as he mounts his bike, and they fiddle around before chanyeol decides to have the both of them squeeze behind him: “it’s dangerous, so please hold on tight!” he doesn’t have enough helmets, so baekhyun takes the spare and jams it onto jongdae’s head, despite his protests.

they make it back to the inlet in record time, baekhyun’s eyes squeezed closed from fear and jongdae’s voice whooping from behind him because he’s a crazed, adrenaline junkie of a siren. chanyeol helps them off the bike, and baekhyun’s eyes narrow when he realises chanyeol’s hand is so much more gentle with jongdae, and jongdae’s beaming affectionately at him. jongdae’s love he has no doubt of, but chanyeol, chanyeol is a stranger, and a _ human_.

“come, jongdae,” baekhyun says, stepping close to the water. “we must go. everyone misses you; they’ll be glad to have you back.”

“yes,” jongdae murmurs, eyes downcast. “i suppose we should.” but he isn’t moving, and baekhyun knows why. he casts a suspicious glance at chanyeol.

“will you come back?” chanyeol finally speaks, making them all jump a little. even chanyeol does, baekhyun notices wryly, like he hadn’t expected himself to voice his own thoughts. “jongdae, i- will you come back?”

jongdae hesitates, like he wants to say anything but what follows, then shakes his head. “no. this place is too dangerous; i was caught here, last time. i’m sorry.”

“you’re- the only person i have,” chanyeol admits, sounding close to tears. he’s stumbling forward, arm outstretched like he wants to take jongdae’s hand. baekhyun snarls, and chanyeol quickly retracts his hand, as though burned. “jongdae, please.”

“i can’t,” jongdae shakes his head again, looking crestfallen. “they would put me back in that cage, chanyeol, and who knows if baekhyun would be caught, too. i can’t risk that. i’m sorry.”

chanyeol sobs, and baekhyun bites his lip. he can understand the feeling of solitude; he had still had his friends, but without his _ singer_, baekhyun had been crushed, alone, as the others were with theirs, hand in hand, swimming and trilling their happiness. “you’ll be safe?” he asks. 

“i will,” jongdae steps forward to take his hand. this time baekhyun stays quiet. “oh, chanyeol, i would never have survived if you hadn’t been there with me. thank you, my lovely flame. you kept me sane in my darkest of times. i promise i will return one day, to thank you. i vow to you.”

chanyeol collapses forward, wrapping jongdae up in a hug. baekhyun’s heart shoots up to his throat when jongdae returns it, but he wills it down. there’s no need to be jealous, as jongdae had said. it would be silly to question his _ singer_. “you must,” chanyeol begs, voice breaking. “please, you must. i have no one else.”

“oh, chanyeol,” jongdae cries with him. “i will, i _ will_, oh, of _ course _ i will. please, do not weep so.”

they’re so caught up in each other and their vows that they do not see the flashing lights behind them, the echoing of horns blaring, but baekhyun does, and he stiffens. “jongdae!” he calls, the urgency in his voice prompting jongdae to look up. “we must go! the humans have come!”

jongdae gasps, then quickly releases chanyeol. baekhyun takes his hand and quickly strips out of his clothing, jongdae doing the same and undoing the knot that holds chanyeol’s shirt around his waist. they rush, knee deep into the water, and baekhyun is about to dive in and let his transformation take over when jongdae pauses in his footsteps.

“jongdae!” he hisses. “jongdae, we must _ go_!” he cannot allow jongdae to be captured again, much less because he cannot let go of a human. baekhyun understands that chanyeol was all jongdae had, in the many moons he was in captivity, but baekhyun would never be able to live with himself if he let his love get taken away from him again.

“chanyeol!” jongdae calls, reaching out. “come with us!”

“are you _ insane_?” baekhyun bursts out. “he’s _ human_.”

“we have our cove!” jongdae spins around to beg him. “it leads into island and he can live there, with us. _ please_, baekhyun, he has no one else, just like i had no one else in that cage! and i know, my love, i _ know _ you were always looking for me, but there was no one who treated me like an equal but chanyeol.”

the man in question is standing, shell shocked, in his original position, unmoving. 

“chanyeol!” jongdae calls again, getting desperate with the ruckus behind them, figures moving ever closer. “we’ll swim you there, we can create a bubble of oxygen for you to breathe. please, my flame, you told me you’re always alone. you don’t have to be alone anymore, chanyeol, if you come with us!”

“you- baekhyun-” chanyeol stammers, and he’s shaking, taking tiny little steps forward like he wants to tag along but isn’t sure if he can.

baekhyun swallows, and sees, out of the corner of his eyes, jongdae looking beseechingly at him, and, really, when has baekhyun ever been able to tell jongdae no? “hurry!” baekhyun gives in. “we cannot be caught!”

chanyeol’s eyes widen, like he can’t believe what he’s hearing, and when baekhyun reaches out with his arm, just like jongdae is, he rushes forward, almost tripping in his haste to get to the edge of the water to take their hands, one in each of his own.

they move forward, and baekhyun thinks they’ve made it, laughing in exhilaration, when a shout pierces through the night.

“stop!”

they flinch, spinning around to see a group of men in blue vests shining torches at them. “boy, let go of their hands! you can fight it, boy, don’t let them drag you under!”

oh, baekhyun thinks, these men think that they’re dragging chanyeol down to his death. that they’re going to drown him, maybe, then tear him apart. he doesn’t particularly care what they think, but he glances over at chanyeol, whose lips are pressed together, and jongdae, whose face is pale. 

“come on, kid, don’t let them take you! there are people waiting for you back home!”

chanyeol smiles, then, a small, beatific little thing that blooms on his face. he laughs, bright and beautiful and _ free_, and baekhyun feels him squeeze his hand, and he understands. he harmonises with jongdae, croons out a dulcet little note. it has the men in blue quickly moving their hands up to cover their ears, and they use this moment to dive into the water, taking chanyeol and his little oxygen bubble with them. 

their feet become tails, and with a quick flick of pink and turquoise, the red quickly sinks. 

* * *

they tell stories of a boy loved by sirens.

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. baekhyun might come off as a bit of an asshole here, but jongdae's been missing for _months_, plus chanyeol _is_ kind of just barging into their relationship unannounced.  
2\. he does warm up to chanyeol, and eventually they all date and there are lots of kisses to be had.  
3\. chanyeol is an orphan, too old for the system. he has nowhere to go & no one to return to, so when the police say "there are people for you waiting at home", it just fuels his determination to go with baekchen, because he has them, now.  
4\. jongdae calls chanyeol his flame because his hair is red, obviously, but also because he'd always thought he couldn't have chanyeol, because flames extinguish in water. joke's on him, i guess.  
5\. thank you for reading! i hope you enjoyed it!  
6\. i'm [onelastchence](https://twitter.com/onelastchence) on twitter as well please come be friends with me \o/  
7\. remember to check out [jongdaeworld](https://twitter.com/jongdaeworld)!  
<s>8\. yes chanyeol does just live off of seafood and seaweed for the rest of his life. also only with his guard uniform because they forgot to nab his streetwear when they took off.</s>


End file.
